Safety water gauge



sept. 18, 1923. www? E J. G. I OWDEN l SAFETY WATER GAUGE Fi1'q April 27, 1922 `Patented Sept. 1S, 1923.

JAMES GIRLY LDWDEN, OF HOUSTON, TEXAS.

SAFETY WATER GAUGE.

Application led April 27, 1922. Serial'No. 556,885'.v

T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, JAMES Gr. LowDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and VState of Texas', have invened a new and usetful Safety Vater Gauge,of which the following VV`is a speciiication. 'lhisuinvention` aims to provide means whereby, when the `'glass in aV gauge cock l0 breaks,'the water and steam will be prevented `from escapinglrom the boiler. An- Y otherrobject of the invention is to provide novel means whereby when the. gauge glass breaks, an audible.,sigiial will. be given,

.Y lothei'eby advising the operator that the glass has broken.V

It is withinV the province of the disclosure .to improve generallyV and to enhance the ntilityof devices of that type to which the invention Vappertains.

lVith the above and other objects in view, which will appear as `the description, proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and inthe details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that, withinjthe scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodimentY of the invention,

showncan be made without departing'from the spirit of the invention. y

In the accompanying drawings Figurel showsfin section,A a device constructed in accordance with nthe invention, parts appearing in elevation; Figure 2 is a cross section through the valve stem, taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure t is a section on the line 4%-4 of Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a iragmental top plan showing a portion of the bottom member of the device.

The device forming the subject matter ot' this application comprises an upper member 1 having a nipple 2 which is threaded into the boiler shell 3. Intermediate` its ends, the upper iember 1 has an enlarged chami ber 1, access being had to the chamber 4 through the instrumentality of a plug 5, threaded into the top of the member V1. A reduced bore 11 connects the chamber et with an enlargement 7, the enlargement communicating with the bore of the nippleV 2. "A seat 6 exists at the place of juncture between the bore 11 and the enlargement 7. A 55' ball valve 9 is, mounted for free movement ,reduced slit or by-pas's in the seat 6, and

' gauge tube 21, of glass, a gland nut 22 bef Vinthe nipple 2 and in the enlargement and isv adapted to rest onthe seat 6, under steam pressure, when the gauge glass, herematter alluded to, is broken. There is a s through vthis Vslit or by'pass 8 a small quantity of steam passes, when the .gauge `glass is broken and when the ball valve 9 is seated, as shown in Figure 1, an audible signal thus being` given, admonishing the at- `tendant that the gauge glass is broken. The

ball valve 9 is held within the nipple 2 by means of a lretainer or sleeve 10 which may be threaded into the inner end of the nipple 2. 7o There is a. seat 14 at the inner end of Vthe bore 11, and with this seat, a tapered valve `12 is adapted to cooperate, the valve being carried by-a stem 15, rotatable in acap 16 threaded on one vend of the upper member 1. A hand wheel 17 is mounted -on the outer end of the stem 15, the stein beingthreaded at 18, into the member 1, that portion of the 4stem which lies immediat-ely to the rear or" the valve 12 being of rectangular cross section,V approximately,v as denoted by the numeral 19, and as shown in Figure 2. n

The upper meinberl is provided with a depending nipple 2Q cooperating `with a ing threaded Aon the nipple and Vholding a packing 23 about the.v gauge tube.j A`spiider 211surrounds the nipple` 2O and carries' rods 25, forming the usual frame for the pro tection of the gauge tube 21.

Y The device includes a lower member 26 provided intermediate its ends with a chamber 27 a pet cock 28 being mounted on the bottom of the lower member 26, if desired, the pet cock communicating with the chamber 27. The lower member 26 has a nipple 29 threaded into the boiler shell. 3. The bore 30 is formed in the lower member 26 and communicates with an enlargement 31, the enlargement communicating with the bore of the nipple 29. At the inner end of' the bore 30, a seat 32 is fashioned in the member 26, the seatbeing adapted to'cooperate with a valve 33 carried by a stem 311 rotatable in a cap 35 threadedon the member '26, the stem 34 carrying an external hand rectangular cross section, as denoted by the numeral 50. The valve has anextension i 1rov 38 prolonged:V through the boreV 30 and Vthrough the bore of the nipple 29, the eX- `tension 39 being of triangular cross Vsection as shown at 40, se as to define longitudinal cutting edges.

A Connection ll is threaded at its lower end into the u1 per portionofthe lower member 26 and communicates with the `chamber 2T, the eonneetionbeing provided with a seat i2 adapted to receive 'a ball valve 43, having limited movement inthe seat,

v above :lingers fte whieh project` inwardly,

.frein thev lower member 26, into the chamber 2T. A nut l5 1s threaded ontheeonneetion el' and holds a packing-4G about tlie'gauge tube 2l, the connection carrying a spider 47 receiving'the lower ends O'lf the rods 25 of the frame vwhich protects the tube .21; v The inletstor the members l and 26 of the eoelt may beeontrolled in the usual way, through the instrumentality er" the-valves l2 and Suppose, however, that the valves l2 and 33v are open, and that the eoekY is operating Vin the usual Away; Suppose,

further that'the O'auoe (dass Q1 sh'ouldber 5 C? C b broken.' Then, under steamV pressure, the

"valve V9 will enffae the seat 6 and Drerent steam ini any appreciable quantity from low- Y `ing outoiE the boiler.: A small Jet of steam, however, will passthrough the slit or by# fpass 8, and give 7^an audible signal, warning the attendant that the gauge glass is broken.

"Under the water pressure' in the boiler, the ball valvel will'riee, and,`coop'erating with' Vthe seat 42, prevent water trom flowing out, of; the boiler; VVThe device is so constructed thatthe valves 9 and 43 may have limited. but continuous movement', the seats and the ball valves therefore being kept Clear otlime Horsediment.

"Especial attention isdire'etedto the feet that the extension '38 'of the valve 33de so shaped that it has longitudinalV Cutting edges. Therefore even though the nipple 29 be'illed with lime or other sediment, tl'ieextensionBS Cross seetional eurvature'ot the seatcorre-VV sponding closely tot-hat of'tliefball, the seat being located :immediately adjacent te;` that portion or thepassage which the ball Aengages when tlieba'll is in a Closed position, Vthe construction specified tending to lzeep the ballin mot-ionand Vprevent the incrustation of the ball andtheeementing 'of the ball in place ,a lower member having atiansverse passage, a'hand valve inthe lower member andV controlling said' passage, a connect-ion, assembled removablyfwitlithe-lower member andprovided at itsnupper endfwithV a seat," the lower member having'ginwardly Vproadapted to cooperate with the seat, the ball beingloeated between vthe seat and the fingers, thel fingers Vlimiting themmovement V'of the ball and preventing-a Ahammering and a Vflattening of the ball on the last speci-V fied -valve,'an'd a sight tube extended between Vthe eonneetienandthe upper member.

In testimony that?v IV vclaim 'the foregoing as my own, I have hereto atiixedfmyvsignaturein the presence oftwo witnesses Janes energy Lewnni f VYWitnessesff-, 1 i' Geo. NL Posey i Y R. E.,elPImWnLL;V

'jeeting ingers, aball in the eenneetienland 

